Ethical Decision-Making

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​​​Purpose of this guidance

The Department promotes the consideration of ethical elements by all employees, across all work locations, in the performance of their duties.

A guide has been developed to support staff to make ethically sound decisions at work. This guide expands on the Department's values, providing practical advice about how to make good choices in ethically challenging situations.

Public officials hold a special position of trust and are accountable for their decisions and actions. There are existing laws and policies, workplace and professional standards and individual thinking capabilities that govern the behaviours and attitudes of education employees. The Department’s Ethical decision-making guide provides a model for decision-making that all employees can use when thinking through ethical challenges they meet in their work. It expands on the principles behind the Department’s values, providing practical guidance for how to make sound choices.

The model should be applied as a decision-making process – not after a decision is made or to judge the qualities of an action already taken.